Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Coffee Brewing

Mmm, there’s nothing like freshly brewed coffee in the morning. For some people, coffee is the number one must have, and if you are one of those lucky people that can’t stop loving coffee in the morning then you’ll be pleased to know there are other ways to brew coffee.

There are so many takes on how to brew coffee – from decorative foam to French presses. In this article we present our top ten tips and tricks for brewing coffee. Enjoy your next cup of hot joe!

1. Decorating your own lattes

With some practice it’s possible for anyone at home to decorate their coffee in a way they probably thought only baristas could pull off. Baristas make it look simple, and if you do it then you can also get great and positive results – especially since you are not a barista who’s being rushed to perform four jobs at once.

The trick is to work with the milk and make it frothy without any big bubbles and then pour it into the coffee cup at an angle.

2. Buy fresh whole bean coffee

Don’t buy the pre-ground coffee. Buy fresh beans. Most coffee companies don’t bother with dates for when the beans were packaged – it’s likely the beans were left there for months after picking. Fresh coffee goes off pretty quickly. To find fresh beans, it’s best to check coffee shops, and some coffee shops will roast them right there, and that means fresher coffee for a great brew.

Pre-roasted coffee beans also mean the beans are discharging more carbon dioxide, meaning that the escaping gases remove more flavor from the coffee than freshly grounded and roasted beans.

3. Use good quality water

The quality of your water matters when it gets to the time for you to brew coffee. Hard water, which is full of extra minerals, won’t bond as well to the coffee that’s brewing, which leads to a weak coffee and not what you were hoping for. Worse, using this high content mineral water could result in limescale build up in your coffee maker. If you use this type of water then you will need to descale your coffee machine regularly, something you do not want.

Heavily filtered water can also lead to other problems when you brew coffee, but lightly filtered water will be perfect. Also, the best temperature for water for brewing coffee is 88 to 94 degrees centigrade.

4. How to cold-brew for a different flavor to your coffee

Cold brewing your coffee is a great option if you love iced-coffee and want to avoid buying pricey iced-coffee.

There are many ways to brew coffee that can be iced, but there are also machines that make this possible. A benefit is that this method eliminates the acids that coffee produces. This method also brings out different ranges of flavor for the coffee lover to indulge in, however some dislike it because there is no acidity.

Alternatively, you can use a special jar, called a mason jar. It’s really easy – you just take your ground coffee, pour it into the jar, and then pour in cold water before placing the water into your fridge for 12 to 24 hours. When it’s ready, just strain the grounds out and serve with ice. Give it a try!

Also, if you want to sweeten it up, add a caramel syrup, or something similar.

5. Measure your coffee out

When you begin to brew coffee, figure out which ratio of the coffee you measure out is the strongest, and which one is the weakest so then you get a great coffee experience without weakening it or making it too strong for your tastes.

The most common ratio is 1 liter of water to 60 grams of ground coffee, and the easiest way to get this is to simply measure the coffee out on a set of scales, however, it’s also possible to measure it out by simply measuring out 60 grams by using a spoon.

6. Pre-infusion, or the bloom

Always make sure that you remove the carbon dioxide from the coffee grounds or your brew will be weak. If you’ve got a coffee machine, make sure it’s got a setting that covers this, and make sure it’s always on.

Coffee blooms are common in coffee shops. It’s created by the roasting procedure, and the heart causes carbon dioxide to be captured by the bean and trapped. When the roasting is completed the gases are discharged slowly. This is called “degassing.” Ideally, if you use freshly roasted beans, the coffee will have more flavor than roasted and ground beans that have been left untouched for days.

7. Brewing and diluting for weaker coffee

If you want to brew coffee, that’s great, don’t brew it for too long, just increase how much ground coffee you have already. If, however, you prefer it weaker, then simply don’t brew it for a shorter time but rather brew it correctly and then you dilute it to drink afterwards.

8. Tips for using filter paper

If you prefer to use filter paper to brew the coffee grounds then gently pour hot water over the filter paper so that it is wet before use. This will remove the likelihood of getting that papery/cardboard like taste in your mouth that you’d likely get if you just pour the water over the coffee grounds if the paper is dry before you start. If you pre-wet the paper, then you’ll clean it and get rid of that papery taste, meaning you’ll still have a great tasting cup of coffee.

When you’re brewing a cup of coffee with this method, pour the hot water over the coffee grounds in a circular motion so that the water from the coffee slowly appears in the pot. This is called the bloom. Keep pouring more water slowly over the grounds, let it take its time to seep, and then wait for the coffee to collect at the bottom of the pot.

9. Flavored coffees

If you prefer your coffee to have different tastes, for instance a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla or almond extracts, then pour some of those extracts into the cream or milk. Sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg over the coffee, or you could even sprinkle some other ground spices like cardamom for a coffee which is more spiced and different than the type you know.

10. Maple syrup drizzle

Another option for flavored and sweetened coffee is to swap sugar with maple syrup.